The prior art is replete with examples of a variety of paper suture retainers that fold up to releasably retain either a needled suture or a non-needled suture as a package. Commonly, two suture-supporting panels are hinged together and each to a cover panel, as in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,656. In the latter example, an openable perforation 20 is provided that allows access to a needled suture. In other, different retainers, a non-needled suture has been retained.
Some suture package examples include interlocking slits at one end of the panels to act as closure tabs to keep the package closed, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,311 (slits 112, 122, 132, and 142).
Although such suture retainers have functioned more or less as intended, different retainers are required to provide a needled suture and a non-needled suture. No single paper-based retainer or package has sufficed to accommodate either a needled--or a non-needled suture with easy accessibility.
Additionally, non-needled suture retainers have provided access to the suture only with some difficulty.
Accordingly, prior to this invention there has been a need to provide a suture retainer suitable for mounting either kind of suture within the same package, and particularly, one that provides easy accessibility to the suture.